Szabolcs Pall - Blog - Szabolcs Pall

Recent Blog Posts by Szabolcs Pall
Did you hire the right agent? Why hiring the right agent will directly affect the amount of money you pocket? It simply comes down to motivation. Is the person you are thinking of hiring driven by their desire to help you reach your goals, or are they trying to reach theirs? Choosing the right REALTOR®, matters! It matters in their philosophy, their work ethic, their support system and network of peers, and especially ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 2, 2012		More
Location, location, location... no longer enough! Location, location, location is simply no longer enough. You need to start thinking about Timing when trying to get the most out of your investment. Of course location and size of the home will always be at the top of anyone’s list when assigning value to a property, that’s likely never going to change. But another important factor these days is price. ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on February 6, 2012		More
March sales back to normal after HST-fueled 2010 March sales back to normal after HST-fueled 2010 Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,232 residential properties in March through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,495 in March 2010, a decrease of 17.6 per cent. The five-year average for home sales in March is 1,256. Of those sales, 296 were in the condominium property class, while 936 were in the residential ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on April 5, 2011		More
How do YOU see your clients? What's the best part about my job? The freedom, the people, the homes, they all add to the enjoyment of being a REALTOR in Ottawa. But even more than that is the feeling that I'm making a difference. Cue the orchestra. :-) Sure they might have got great service from someone else, I believe there are a lot of really good agents out there, and I’m certainly not saying I'm the only one. But being ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on March 17, 2011		More
Home Ownership - Learn before you leap! My brother recently asked about what I thought was the best smart phone on the market. Sure there are tons of web-sites dedicated to this stuff, and he has probably read them all, but like most anything you purchase, it’s often best to ask someone who’s had some firsthand experience with the bloody things. And it’s with that in mind that we decided to host a live session ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on March 17, 2011		More
Buying or Selling? Need help? Are you thinking of buying or selling a home this year? What’s the process, and when should you get started? It starts with contacting a REALTOR® to learn about your local market, but the timing can vary depending on when you want to move. If you have a house to sell, I advise clients to consider approximately 90 days to properly market the property, and then add 60 days to ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on January 8, 2011		More
How's the market? How’s the housing market? It couldn’t be any better if you ask me, and let me explain why: While the Residential Unit sales on the Ottawa Real Estate Board are down, our Condominium Unit numbers are up from last year at this time. And let me remind you, that we had a record breaking year in 2009 which makes the numbers even more impressive. Residential prices have increased approximately ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on December 29, 2010		More
Did you get a good deal? Did you know that a home is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it? This notion of a "good deal" is only in the minds of the buyer and or seller. A home properly exposed to the market by a motivated seller for a sufficient amount of time will eventually sell for the price the market is willing to bare. This is called Market Value, and will not always be the Listed Price. ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on December 13, 2010		More
3 reasons you should sell, now! Waiting till spring? Here are 3 reasons why you should get your home on the market, right now! If it’s something you’ve been considering but are getting mixed messages from the industry and agents, here are my top reasons, why hesitating could end up costing you! 1) Interest Rates. The banks are practically giving money away. 2) ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on November 11, 2010		More
Buy first or sell first? Buy first or sell first? The answer is almost always SELL, for the simple fact that in our current market conditions, you cannot be guaranteed a quick sale. So you might as well get the process started as soon as possible. The pros of buying first are that you will almost certainly know your possession date and can time the sale of your existing home to match it. Either way, you’ll ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on July 6, 2010		More
Will house prices go down? Did you know that while CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) is predicting that home prices next year will be down approximately 2.2%, they will have increased by 1.5% from over 2009. To put it into perspective, your $350,000 home may decrease in price by about $2,500. This is hardly anything to get into panic about, and please remember, that it's the local stats that matter. ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on June 3, 2010		More
Considering Selling? Some things to ask yourself first! We're faced decisions throughout our normal day, and usually get them right without much difficulty. But while each of us is well equipped to make every day decisions, it’s not always so simple. When we consider selling our home, that decision is one that obviously requires much greater scrutiny. Consider the following: How much equity do I currently have? - The amount of money you ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on June 1, 2010		More
Hottest April on record for resale housing market Hottest April on record for resale housing market Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,841 residential properties in April through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,591 in April 2009, an increase of 15.7 per cent. Of those sales, 425 were in the condominium property class, while 1,416 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 5, 2010		More
Get top dollar for your home How to get top dollar for your home, and save money in real estate. Sometimes it's not always what you make; it's how much you save. It's a fitting metaphor for those thinking of selling their home. In a similar vein, most sellers are not concerned about what it costs to sell their home, what's ultimately most important is how much of their equity they get to keep at the end. Think about ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 5, 2010		More
Competing Offers - How to win! How do you win in a Competing Offer scenario? First you accept that in some instances, price will always be the final word. And no matter how well your offer is drafted, someone may be in a position to offer more money than you for the house. Having said that, there are a number of things you can do as the buyer, to ensure that your offer is not amongst the first to get rejected, so ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on March 29, 2010		More
How to buy a home with 0% down Did you know that you can still get financing for up to 100% of your home? There is no getting around the 5% down payment required by CMHC, but some lenders will give you the 5% down payment if you are willing to take on a higher interest rate. Don't forget though, that for non-owner occupied or investment properties, you now need a 20% down payment as part of the new mortgage rule ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on March 2, 2010		More
Why change the mortgage rules? Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net How do you characterize our current real estate market? Lots of buyers, not enough homes. Homes are selling at over and above the asking price as demand pushes excited home buyers, nervous at the thought of losing out on a home, to bid full asking price sometimes without conditions. While active listings are down from last year, we are already ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on March 2, 2010		More
Has the market recovered? Markets in Canada and the U.S. rebounded in 2009 from a disastrous start to the year as investors warmed to signs that the recovering economy would boost profits? The TSX ended with a gain of more than 30% on the year. While this is positive news for our economy, it’s still difficult to predict the financial success of many investment opportunities. Real estate however, continues ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on January 5, 2010		More
Multiple Offers Having to call someone and let them know the house they wanted is no longer available is always tough to do. I can empathize with them, having seen it first hand way too many times. Unfortunately the market we’re in dictates that if you want the house, you have to put your best foot forward. And you can’t hesitate for even a day, because someone else could beat you to ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on August 31, 2009		More
4 Stats That Make Sense Here are 4 stats that make sense and every REALTOR® should be able to tell you right off the bat! 1) Days on Market. This information can be used to inform the customer how long homes are sitting on the market. The better you price the product, the faster you can expect to move it. Don't make the mistake of pricing too high, as the house will sit on the market and become stale. ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on June 1, 2009		More
Are you working with the wrong agent? "Please help; do you have a buyer for my house?" It's a common request, but not always as desperate as the seller sounded this time. The answer in most cases, sadly is "no". I alone can only provide service to so many buyers. But that's the power of the MLS system; there are a host of other agents that may have buyers for your home. They just need to be told about it. And ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 1, 2009		More
May 2009 - Housing Market Update Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 1, 2009		More
Market Knowledge Did you know, that only 10% of agents attend the local MLS meeting on a regular basis? It's a great opportunity to preview up to 10 homes each week. I even find out about homes coming up for sale before they ever hit the market. My knowledge of the available housing inventory, and preview into where the market is heading, allows me to accurately price a home based not only on market ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 1, 2009		More
CBC - The Hour - Real Estate Hot Spots Don R Campbell - Real Estate Investment Network (Part 1 and Part 2). Posted by Szabolcs Pall on May 1, 2009		More
Home Renovation Tax Credit What is HRTC? It's the Home Renovation Tax Credit that was proposed in the January 27th Federal Budget, that will provide for a 15% income tax credit on eligible home renovation expenditures, and is family based. Good between January 27th 2009 and February 1st 2010, it can be claimed for the 2009 taxation year on expenditures greater than $1,000, but no more than $10,000 and can provide ... Posted by Szabolcs Pall on April 10, 2009		More

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